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LAN too slow ---Why?

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14 replies

by tomnhanni 1 view

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I have a laptop and a desktop connected by lan. The laptop runs Windows XP pro (NTFS) and the desktop Windows 98 (FAT). Both systems have 10/100 mbit NICs installed. I'm using TCP/IP. My problem is that the transfer rate is max. 600+ kbps. This is of course, unnacceptable. The NICs are both setup for auto speed detection. And when I changed them to 100mbps full duplex nothing changed. I'm just wondering what I can do to get a faster transfer rate. I would even be satisfied with 10mbps. But right now its not even 1mbps that I'm getting.
Is it the TCP/IP or the cable or the NTFS/FAT or the HDDs or what?
Thanks in advance for any answers.

14 replies

by jgenovesi

I doubt if it's your HDDs or File systems. How are you connecting the devices? The hub or switch could be faulty. You also want to check to see if you have the correct NIC drivers.

by jose_12650

You did not mention how were your computers connected. If you were using a hub, try using a switch instead. A low-end would cost about 30 dollars, but it definitely would operate at a transfer rate of more than 600 kbps.

by tomnhanni

I'm only connecting 2 PCs together so a switch is not necessary. I have the NICs connected with a crossover patch cable. I know its not the cable because I tried 2 different ones and the same cables gave me a much faster transfer rate on 2 win98 machines.
*Update*
I now hve both the laptop and the desktop running Windows XP pro and I still have a transfer rate of @ 600kbps.

by jose_12650

Inasmuch as you don't have a central server, how did you configure the access control or the share permissions of your resource in one computer so it can be browsed by the other? The slow traffic could be caused by the inability of one system to determine the effective access control entry/list from the other system. Right click My Computer Icon and click Remote Tab then click the Allow Users to connect to this Computer Remotely, Select Remote User and browse if you can see the user of the other System and Add this user.

by tomnhanni

I have simple file sharing turned off. I have only 2 users (besides the guest account) on each system. In my shared files permission list are the two users as well as "everyone". I havn't tried the remote desktop because I access locally and not from the internet. But I do have remote access enabled and the users in the list.

by jose_12650

After configuring a name for the workgroup, create a user account on each computer that the user needs to access. Meaning your user in XP machine must have a local user account in the Win98 Machine and your user of Win98 must have a local user account in the XP machine.

by tomnhanni

Workgroup is configured. User profiles are configured. As stated in the update both machines are using XP pro now.

by voldar

Did you checked your computer with another one beside the laptop? Is the transfer rate slow too? If yes - and the transfer rate is high - on the laptop TCP/IP configuration, did u chose the "enable NetBios over TCP/IP" option?

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